The carcass of a cow lies in a farmyard within the contaminated nuclear exclusion zone, in July. No provision was made to evacuate pets or livestock following the Fukushima nuclear incident. The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan damaged vital cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Blasts occurred in a series of reactors, leading to nuclear meltdown and a release of radioactive material, in what was seen as the world’s most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. A 20-kilometer exclusion zone was declared around the plant, and more than 80,000 people were evacuated. The exclusion zone remained in place for months after the incident, with the Japanese government predicting it could take 40 years to fully decommission the plant and clean up surrounding areas.

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David Guttenfelder has spent all of his 18 years as a photojournalist working, and living, outside of his native United States.
He began his career as a freelance photographer in East Africa, after studying Swahili at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. As an Associated Press photographer, he has been based in, and worked across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. He now lives in Tokyo, as AP’s chief Asia photographer. Guttenfelder is a seven-time World Press Photo award winner.